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Accelerating the future.

Ambitious teams from around the world designed and built production‐capable, super fuel‐efficient and clean vehicles. Vehicles must be proven to meet rigorous standards. A thorough qualification process, completed in October 2009, assessed safety, cost, features, and business plans to ensure only production‐capable cars compete. Vehicles were tested for efficiency, performance, and durability under real‐world conditions.

Impact

Three teams achieved our main goal to build super-efficient vehicles that could be mass-produced

The competition offered a "level playing field" that attracted existing automobile manufacturers and newcomers including high school and collegiate teams – the first prize to do so

With the assistance of the DOE and various science centers, we were able to educate the public on key issues around the need for alternative vehicles and the future state of production

With our partners at Consumer Reports, we also advanced the adoption of a new consumer metric, called MPGe (Miles per Gallon or gasoline equivalent energy), that offers consumers the ability to make an apples-to-apples comparison of this next generation of vehicles that will use a variety of energy sources and fuels with the conventional cars they drive today.

The Grand Challenge

The goal of the Progressive Insurance Automotive XPRIZE was to inspire a new generation of the absolute best, viable, super fuel-efficient vehicles that meet consumer expectations for safety and performance. $10 million in prizes were awarded to the teams that could successfully navigate a rigorous stage competition for clean, production‐capable vehicles that exceed 100 MPGe (Miles per Gallon or Energy Equivalent). MPGe took into account vehicle efficiency regardless of the source of energy, be it gasoline, ethanol, hydrogen or grid electricity. The competition also required extremely low vehicle emissions in order to stem the effects cars are having on climate change.

The Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE sought to increase global awareness of more fuel-efficient vehicle options, enabling their development and stimulating marketplace demand. To accomplish this paradigm shift, it was important to demonstrate not just one or two designs that can accomplish this goal, but a new generation of vehicles that consumers will want to drive and that can be manufactured in volume.

How They Won

Participating teams would first be required to prove that they were capable of designing and building super-efficient vehicles that could be mass-produced.

Qualified entrants competed in a series of rigorous trial stages that tested their vehicles under real-world driving conditions.

Mainstream class vehicles were required to seat at least four passengers, have four wheels, and have a minimum range of 200 miles.

Alternative class vehicles were required to seat at least two passengers, side-by-side or in tandem, and have a minimum range of 100 miles. There was no minimum requirement for the number of wheels.

Vehicles could be powered by any type of fuel or energy source provided that by 2014 there would be sufficient national distribution of that fuel or energy source to support at least 10,000 vehicles. All winning vehicles had to achieve fuel economy of at least 100 MPGe while meeting rigorous emissions requirements.

Competitive vehicles then had to complete a series of on-track tests and pass validation testing on a dynamometer.

Teams

In September 2010, $10 million was awarded to three teams:
• $5 million to Edison2, winner of the mainstream class
• $2.5 million to X-Tracer, winner of the alternative class (tandem seating)
• $2.5 million to Li-Ion Motors, winner of the alternative class (side-by-side seating)